Put Your Trust in Me
by Fireworksafterdawn
Summary: Gladys the ostrich wakes up on a train with no memory at all of what happened before she has boarded that train, and without warning, is dropped off at a heartbreaking town called Stormson. She has no choice but to make a living there. Over time, she makes friends in the town and she eventually gets a clue to her previous life. Gladys is scared, and she doesn't know why.
1. Allegiances

**Author's Note: These alligiences are of me and my brother's towns in Animal Crossing New leaf with a few exceptions. The first chapter will be posted tomorrow. :3**

**Stormson**

**Beardo: Blue and brown smug bear**

**Beau: Orange lazy deer**

**Becky: Purple snooty rooster**

**Cherry: Red uchi dog**

**Jacques: Navy blue smug bird**

**Lobo: Dark blue and white cranky wolf**

**Lolly: Grey normal tabby cat**

**Pate: Blue peppy duck**

**Walker: Black and white lazy dog**

* * *

**Fishlot**

**Agent S: Blue and white peppy squirrel**

**Avery: Grey cranky eagle**

**Bob: Purple lazy cat**

**Hans: Grey smug gorilla**

**Mira: Yellow uchi rabbit**

**Monty: Grey and white cranky monkey**

**Peaches: Pink normal horse**

**Rosie: Blue peppy cat**

**Soleil: Orange snooty hamster**


	2. The Heartbreaking Town

**Author's Note: I lied. :)**

There was a tall white ostrich with a large red splash on her head and a black chin and neck. She wore a pale green shirt with streaks of white and her name just so happened to be Gladys.

She moved her feathered wing up to her head and moaned quietly, feeling a disastrous headache coming on. She moved her other wing and felt a large leather case. She looked down and saw a huge cello case. She remembered she can play cello.

"You were asleep for a long time."

Gladys turned her head to the front of the train car and noticed that there was a blue cat with bright red eyes. She shuddered and noticed she was sitting on an umbrella. She glared at the seat. She turned back to face the blue cat curiously.

"My name is Rover." He stated sitting on the seat across from her. "What about you?"

Surprisingly, the multicolored ostrich managed to choke out, "Gladys."

Rover laughed softly and grinned a toothy smile, "isn't that curious? Where exactly are you heading to?"

Gladys looked down in her wing and saw that she was grasping a pale blue shining ticket. She gasped, that wasn't there before. She doesn't exactly understand what's going on. She looked carefully at the ticket and saw that it was a one-way. She shivered. She read on and in elegant swirling letters it said, "STORMSON."

Gladys blinked her silver eyes and stared at a small picture of the town flag: a sky blue back drop with swirling white winds and a letter flying on the currents with tiny wings.

She muttered quietly to Rover, "I suppose I'm heading to Stormson."

Rover laughed again. "That place is definitely mysterious. The trees line up perfectly along the roads and the fruits are pure and sappy like a love story. It's where most people end up finding their true love, then having their heart broken there. It's a tragic place."

Gladys leaned in closer. "Is there a story behind it?"

Rover grinned and leaned back on the seat, "I _should _know the story. I was supposed to be the mayor but I tricked some kid into going at the wrong stop and taking my place as mayor. I can't handle that kind of responsibility." He blinked, then added mischievously, "but don't tell him I said that."

The ostrich tilted her head and clutched the ticket tightly in her wings. "Sounds like a heart-breaking place."

Rover shrugged and lashed his tail. "As far as I know, the kid that I dumped off there is doing a great job at leading the place, better than I would have ever done."

Gladys laid back her head and looked out the window. The train was finally beginning to exit the dark tunnel. It revealed a dark night sky gleaming with stars. Orange and yellow leaves swirled in the blowing wind and several animals were out and about. Gladys gently placed her feathered wings up against the window and gasped. "Is that Stormson?"

The trees were aligned perfectly to the cracking stone roads. House dotted the town mostly alongside the pathways.

Rover nodded proudly and stared out the window as well.

Gladys glanced at Rover and asked, "Are you going to get off as well?"

Rover shook his head.

The train submerged back into darkness and then opened quickly back up to lights. Gladys heard the call for all passengers heading to Stormson. Gladys gulped. She hesitantly picked up her cello case and orange and white umbrella. She carefully stepped off the train and looked back at Rover. He was smiling and waving when suddenly the doors slammed shut. She turned around and flinched at the flickering lights above her.

Gladys slowly walked onwards and exited out the door. She softly stepped upon the cool grass with her claws. She looked back up at the sky.

She walked onwards with her giant cello case and toting umbrella. She nearly jumped three feet in the air when she heard a voice. "Hey, you're the new resident, yes?"

Gladys twisted around and spotted a chubby brown raccoon with a green vest. She blinked and stepped back. He stopped and panted to catch his breath. She watched him carefully as he finally spoke up.

"You're, ah, Gladys, yes?"

The cat nodded.

The raccoon smiled. "I'm Tom Nook; I sell and remodel homes here in Stormson. It sure is nice to finally meet you in person after all those phone calls."

_Phone calls?_ How come Gladys can't remember any events before her nap on the train? Was she even napping at all?

Gladys just nodded weakly, feeling a little sick to her stomach.

Tom Nook put his brown paw on Gladys's shoulder and grinned even wider, "let me guide you to where your home is reserved. It'll be built in the morning, yes?"

Noddle followed the pudgy raccoon to her supposed new home. She walked very slowly to a large roped off area with a sign in front of it. It read, 'Reserved for Gladys' new home'.

"See," Tom Nook said proudly, "we started it up just for you. However, for tonight since it won't be here, you're going to have to stay the night at the town hall or on a bench, yes."

"On a bench?" Gladys echoed.

Tom Nook nodded and he pointed toward the town hall which was covered in moss and vines. "Right over there. By the way, we can discuss your payment for the house tomorrow. So just meet me at the shopping district north of here in the morning, yes." Then he nodded once more and ran off back north uphill to the supposed shopping district.

Gladys gulped and trotted over to the town hall, afraid of what awaited her.

She grasped the handle with her wing and slowly opened it. She sniffed inside, smelling a faint whiff of dogs and… what is that other scent? It smelled vaguely like some kind of ape.

"Oh, hello!" Said an overly excited cream colored dog with a dark green vest and a bright red bow. The dog dipped her head and motioned for Gladys to come closer.

The bird walked to the dog and stood in front of her politely. The dog beamed at Gladys and said, "Welcome to Stormson, resident Gladys! I'm pretty sure that Mr. Nook has already shown you were you will be staying?"

Gladys blinked and said hesitantly, "but it won't be done until tomorrow. He said I'll have to sleep either in town hall or on the bench tonight."

The dog sighed and said, "That Tom Nook. He was teasing you about the bench."

_It didn't sound like he was teasing._ Thought Gladys a little sourly.

The dog shook her head and went on, "there's a couch in the corner of the room near the door. I'm sure the mayor won't mind if you slept there for tonight."

Gladys thanked the dog and asked for her name. The dog paused then blushed. "O-oh, sorry, I didn't tell you my name, did I? My name is Isabelle; I'm the secretary for the mayor of Stormson."

Gladys smiled and walked over to the large three person couch in the main lobby. She shoved her umbrella and cello case underneath and clambered on top of the couch. She rested her head on her wings and she closed her eyes. She sensed Isabelle turn off the lights.

The bird thought about why she can't remember anything before she even got onto the train. How did she even remember her own name if she couldn't remember the main purpose for even why she was on that train?

Gladys rolled over and shut thoughts out of her head. Maybe it would be better if she didn't think about these kinds of things.

But then again, what else was there to think about?


	3. Absent Ringing Bells

Gladys bolted awake when she heard a bird cry outside. She stood up and stared at the wall ahead of her. She blinked slowly and she stretched her arms, yawning.

She kicked herself off the couch and reached underneath for her cello case and umbrella. She slid them out and pushes the door of the town hall open. But as soon as she opened it, she saw a human.

The boy had dark brown raggedy hair and plain white T-shirt and blue jeans. Gladys bit her tongue and darted around him. The human stared at her for a moment before she finally walked off, trying to shake off the feeling of awkwardness.

She trotted to where she remembered the roped off area was by the river. She heard the babbling water and splashes of a trout. She blinked and she twisted her head to see a navy blue bird with a green knit cap and a green shirt.

She walked up to him, and noticed that he held a fishing pole in his wings. She watched him for a long time with her silver gaze.

And it took a long time to realize that there was a tall ostrich standing behind him. She felt an itch come up her throat and she had to sneeze. She let out a rather loud sneeze and the black bird was so startled that he gasped and let go of the fishing pole. She gasped and watched guiltily as it splashed into the water.

"Hey, you just let me lose a good fishing pole _and _a plump trout!" The bird stood up and looked directly at Gladys. He blinked his watery blue eyes then said slowly in a cautious tone, "Hey… are you the new villager?"

Gladys nodded quickly and felt her wings get sweaty.

The bird sighed then looked down at the river. Then he glanced back at Gladys and chuckled. "It's okay, they only cost six hundred bells or so. By the way, my name is Jacques. What about you?"

"Gladys." Coughed up the ostrich.

The bird nodded and said, "Nice name. I sure hope you have a good time here in Stormson." Then he walked off away from the river and Gladys.

Gladys bit her tongue once more. She had to know why she ended up here. But until she can find out, she had to get a home.

She walked carefully along the cracked road laid out perfectly straight ahead of her. She continued to walk until she sees a tall bright orange house where the roped off area used to be. The roof was pure black like oil and the door was snow white.

This had to be her new house. It was where the roped off area was. Next to her house was another home. It had pale yellow brick and a dark brown wood for the roof. The door was pale grey with a diamond crest on it.

"Oh, so I have a new neighbor!" Cried out a happy voice.

Gladys noticed a black dog with a white face, muzzle, and belly including the paws. He had deep blue eyes and a wide smile.

Gladys frowned inwardly. Is everyone always so happy?

"My name is Walker!" He chirped on cheerfully. He didn't even bother to ask for Gladys's name. He beamed then walked across a bridge not too far away. Gladys was visibly shaking, overwhelmed with what was happening right then.

She hesitantly stepped into the house and happily set down her cello case. The walls looked brand new and the floor was a rough oak wood. Then a sudden realization hit her. Gladys needs to pay for all this!

She quickly walked back outside and took a deep breath. A job is needed to pay. She knows she has to pay but she doesn't know quite how much.

She avoided Walker and hid behind trees to hide from other animals. She saw a vertically walking orange deer with tall yellow antlers talking to a short blue duck with brown bangs and mustard yellow bill and feet. She walked along the pathway empty-handed towards the shopping district.

She hesitantly walked over to the district, and saw that most of the shops were closed down and animals quietly stormed down the street shooting angry glances at one another. She quickly rushed into a blue shop with a yellow sign that says 'Nook's Homes'.

At one corner of the shop had a grey bored looking otter drawing randomly on a clipboard.

She faced Tom Nook who was setting up a yellow door with a fish crest on it for display. Gladys gently tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around to see her. He grinned widely.

"Why, hello there, Gladys. I suppose you're here to discuss the payment of your home, yes?"

Gladys nodded carefully.

"Wonderful! Let me get a calculator."

Tom Nook shoved his paw into his pants pocket and pulled out a grey calculator. The otter glanced at him and sighed. Then returned to drawing.

Gladys watched with curiosity as Tom Nook punched in numbers to the tiny machine then he looked back up at her.

"So, the payment is exactly fifty thousand bells!"

Gladys stared on at him dumbfounded and basically shell-shocked. No way she's going to pay that much!

Tom Nook laughed and went on, "I know what you're thinking; 'there's no way I'm going to pay that off!' Well, lucky for you, I am a very generous raccoon and I let people buying homes pay it off in their own due time. No time limits. Except I do expect you to pay it, yes." He nodded and put the calculator back in his pocket.

Gladys blinked and averted her silver gaze. "Do you think that maybe… I could possibly get a job somewhere?"

Tom Nook thought for a moment. He was about to speak until the otter interrupted him. The grey water mammal adjusted his glasses and said quickly, "Wanna pay off your mortgage? No problem. Lyle's got that covered. Bam. You want a job right? Just go to Brewster's Café south of the river. Done. Boom. Got a job and ready to pay off your debt. When that's cleared away, the Happy Home Academy can evaluate your home." He nodded and went on, "We sneak on into our home clandestine style and take a peek. You won't even know we were there, got it? Got it."

Tom Nook rolled his eyes. "Thank you, Lyle. You were a great help to our client, yes." Then he muttered something under his breath and cleared his throat, "Brewster will let you get a job. If that old pigeon is giving you trouble, just say Tom Nook sent you."

Gladys nodded and walked out of the shop, hearing the start of an argument between Lyle and Tom Nook.

She took a deep breath and exhaled. Little did she know that chaos was just about to ensue.


	4. Beards and Coffee

**Author's Note: Okay, so, if you don't know any of these characters, just look up on the animal crossing wiki who they are. I have mentioned the schedule I shall use between this story and Fallenstar's Fate. Even if you don't like warriors and like this, look at the beginning of Fallenstar's Fate chapter 43 for the schedule I shall use for the stories.**

Gladys noticed that the sun was already setting, and she sighed once more.

A job already.

She stepped down from the main street and rushed across the train tracks. She walked on carefully on the path toward the café that Lyle spoke of. This time, she hardly even cared if some other animal saw her. She realized by now that no matter what, she's going to meet everyone in the little village, regardless of how well she hides herself.

She saw that Jacques was already walking towards her on the path. She halted and quickly hid her face from the small navy blue bird.

"Hey there, Gladys. Did Tom Nook set you straight about your payment?"

Gladys nodded shyly and responded, "He and Lyle said that I should get a job at a café south of the river."

Jacques laughed surprisingly and said slyly, "That's great! I'll get to see you there at the café often."

Gladys nodded again and slipped past Jacques.

She didn't even look back to see the look on his face.

Walking onwards, her claws gently clicked down on the smooth grey and white bricks with patches of moss on the side. Trees aligned along the pathways, shading Gladys from the afternoon sunlight.

Ahead of the pathway, she saw a blue duck with brown bangs. She walked on not making eye contact. She towered over the little duck and once more, didn't look back.

She felt the blue duck's gaze set down on her though, and then her voice scratched through the air, "Hey! You're the new resident!"

Gladys sighed as the duck ran back and stood right in front of her. The duck's eyes glimmered with curiosity and innocence.

"My name is Pate!" She quacked, "words cannot express how excited I am that another bird has joined the town! Nevermind, words can express it! I am so, so, so, totally HAPPY!"

Gladys backed up a little from the tiny duck thinking that maybe she's just a little bit too excited.

"We're going to be best friends, aren't we?"

"Y-yeah, sure." Gladys gulped. She picked up the pace and crossed the stone bridge. She saw a large beige colored building with a silhouette of a grey pigeon with a mustache over the doorway. She gently pushed open the door and peeked inside. On one corner of the café, there was a large yellow table with four chairs. At the bar were three red stools, one of them were occupied by a large blue bear with a brown vest with bowtie and an impressive brown beard and mustache.

Behind the bar stood a pale grey pigeon wearing glasses and a tuxedo. Gladys stepped up to the counter and cleared her throat. Both the bear and the pigeon looked directly at her. Gladys gulped and said hesitantly, "Tom Nook told me to get a job here."

The pigeon paused then said, "Coo. Take this tuxedo and come behind the counter."

He handed Gladys a tuxedo and she sighed. Time for her work to begin.

* * *

The large blue bear tried to warm up to Gladys, but she just wasn't budging. She only responded with short, 'mhm's. Or perhaps a quick nod. Brewster taught her how to properly pour the coffee and handle the sugar and milk with care.

"You're a quick learner." He said nodding. Gladys blushed and then a quiet bell rang. Gladys looked to the door and saw a tall orange deer wearing a cream and orange stitched shirt and tall yellow antlers. He had to duck to get into the door and he wore a big goofy smile on his face.

"Hello there, Brewster, Beardo, and Newcomer!" He cheered. He took a quick seat next to the bear. The bear smiled.

"How are you today, Beau?" Beardo asked.

The deer exhaled calmly and said, "Fine, I'm nice and relaxed. I caught Becky who was making those rumors up with me and Cherry." He sighed and slumped his head down onto the counter, "Cherry is a great dog, but it's not great when people make up silly rumors about us together."

Gladys tried hard not to overhear on what they were saying.

Beardo only calmly nodded throughout the conversation while Beau went on and on about him and this dog named Cherry. After he finished talking, he tilted his head and bore his eyes into Gladys. "Who's the ostrich?"

Brewster was quiet for a second before he said, "Coo, her name is Gladys. She's working for me now."

"I'd comprehend her name," started the deer, "but I think I hate too much meringue pie before I left my house."

Beardo laughed and responded, "you have to fuel yourself up with food though, don't you?"

Beau groaned and laid his head to the side, taking up the rest of the counter space, "I just might explode."

"Do you have room for coffee?" Asked Brewster quietly.

Beau immediately perked up and said, "Of course I do! I always have room for your awesome coffee!" He turned to Gladys and said cheerfully, "can you make me some?"

Gladys nodded. "What kind of beans?"

Beau thought for a minute before saying cheerfully, "Mocha beans, please! Also make it really sweet."

Gladys fumbled for the milk and sugar and quickly put in three teaspoons of sugar and blended the mixture with the mocha beans. She wrapped her wing around a carton of milk and put in a lot. She gulped, hoping it didn't taste too milky.

Beau nodded his thanks and took a sip of the coffee. He smacked his lips for a second before grinning and saying, "This tastes amazing! It's absolutely perfect. You chose well, Brewster."

Brewster didn't say anything.

The rest of Gladys' shift, Beardo finally managed to get Gladys to speak. Even Beau joined in on the conversation, adding random tidbits about food. Gladys sheepishly mentioned that she enjoys the town of Stormson so far, eve if the residents are a little crazy.

Caught off guard, she jumped a little when Beardo laughed heartily. Then he smiled widely and said, "It seems as though all the residents of Stormson are a little crazy. Especially Beau here."

"Hey!" Beau protested playfully. Beardo kept on his ridiculous grin as Beau lightly pushed him, "I may love to eat cobbler filled with butter cream but that doesn't mean I'm crazy."

Gladys grinned.

"By the way, Glad," said Beau using a small nickname, "What town are you from?"

Gladys grew silent. She hung her head and began to use a rag to clean out Beau's coffee cup. Then she muttered, "I don't really know."

As usual, Brewster didn't respond. Beardo blinked and Beau's eyes were wide. He smiled with an open jaw and gaped, "You're so mysterious, Glad."

Gladys grinned. Maybe she has found a few friends already.


	5. Bag of Beans

Before Gladys went home, she snagged a green bed from the Nookling Junction in Main Street so that she'll at least have a place to sleep. In the morning, she walked out of her home, and looked up at the sky, seeing that it was overcast and ready to rain. Her shift at Brewster's doesn't start until 11:00 AM, so she has a lot of time. She decided to head down to the beach and collect seashells.

She quickly headed down a steep pathway lined with rocks and she let her black claws sink into the smooth cream colored sand of the beach. She slowly began to walk along the shoreline, collecting the prettiest shells she could find. She found a small oyster shell and several Venus comb shells.

After bending over to pick up a small shut clam, she looked back up to see a grey tabby cat with a plaid blue and pink dress. The cat was sitting in the sand as the wind blew at her fur.

Gladys walked over to the cat and surprisingly, the cat noticed she was there first.

The grey tabby turned around and said while smiling, "hello."

Gladys stepped back.

"My name is Lolly." She stuck out her paw, "what's yours?"

She took a deep salty breath and said, "Gladys."

Lolly smiled and shook Gladys's feathered wing. "Beau told me that you're working at Brewster's café. He also mentioned that the coffee you made was amazing; rivaling to Brewster himself."

"I-I wouldn't say that."

Lolly giggled then looked out to the ocean, "You're probably wondering why I'm sitting out here staring at the ocean. I know, aren't I weird?"

Gladys shook her head, not willing to pry open this total stranger.

"I can see you don't like to talk." Lolly noticed. She blinked then looked at the shells held in Gladys' wings, "I can also see that you're collecting shells at the moment. I can leave for you."

"I don't mind." Gladys said suddenly.

Lolly looked back up at the ostrich who towered over her. "You're nice too."

Gladys looked out at the ocean's rolling waves, never ending not even for a second. She suddenly felt something wet land on her beak. Gladys glanced upwards at the sky seeing that it was beginning to rain.

Lolly picked up a blue and white umbrella that was sitting on the other side of her. "I had a hunch that it was going to rain like this." She glanced at Gladys, "do you have an umbrella?"

Gladys nodded.

Lolly smiled. "Well, it was nice meeting you. I'm going to head to the café this afternoon to meet up with my friend Lobo. Maybe I'll see you there."

"Maybe." Gladys sighed. Lolly ran up the slope back towards the town. Gladys didn't have her umbrella with her, so she huffed and walked up the slope starting to get wetter by the second.

She spotted Jacques across the river talking to a dark blue wolf with a white muzzle and chest. They both held umbrellas in their wing and paw.

Jacques noticed Gladys and he happily waved a greeting to her. Gladys smiled and she walked under his umbrella. He looked back at the wolf and greeted him to her, "Gladys, this is Lobo. Lobo, meet Gladys."

Lobo snorted and muttered really quickly, "Nice to meet you."

"We were talking about how he managed to snag a date with that pretty tabby named Lolly."

Gladys had to hunch over to fit under Jacques' umbrella, but she didn't mind. She perked up and she said, "I met Lolly by the beach. She mentioned you, Lobo."

Lobo immediately began to blush and he looked away while crossing his arms. "Really? A-Ain't that just grand?"

Jacques laughed and replied, "You sure do like that Lolly, don't you?" He nudged Lobo in the ribs and said, "She is a cute kitty."

Gladys giggled. Then she sneezed. Jacques turned toward Gladys and he tilted his head. Lobo blinked and growled. Then he handed off his umbrella to Gladys. She looked down surprisingly at the wolf. He huffed and said, "I don't need an umbrella. Umbrellas are for pansies."

Gladys rolled her eyes and smiled. Looking down at the two animals, she felt a slight sense of belonging. She loved standing under an umbrella talking to other residents of Stormson. It's not that much of a heartbreaking place. She actually has grown to like it like a leech that is finally withdrawing because it's bloated with fresh blood.

Lobo walked away proudly, getting his checkered black and white shirt soaked immediately. Jacques laughed as Gladys shouted out suddenly, "I-I'll give you back your umbrella by the end of the day!"

Jacques smirked at the ostrich that towered above him, "Why did you accept it? If you didn't, we'd have to share an umbrella like an old couple."

Gladys blushed fiercely and began to get all flustered, "Oh, a-ah, I think that-"

Jacques laughed once more and said, "It was just a friendly joke. Lighten up."

Gladys chuckled nervously and averted her gaze. Lobo wasn't as scary as he seemed. He obviously gave his umbrella because he was concerned about the newest resident getting soaked.

"Is there somewhere you wanted to go together?" Asked the little navy blue bird. He blinked his tired looking blue eyes and grinned widely. Gladys shook her head. His smile faded and he shrugged. Then he walked away from her, not looking back.

Gladys then fingered the small bag of 'superb beans' given to her from Brewster as payment for her job. She then walked towards the short pink building called Re-Tail.

She looked at the dark pink door with a heart shaped crest on it. She stepped inside, and folded in the umbrella to be polite. Inside were stands holding up various pieces of furniture and despite the rain outside, it was warm and pleasant inside. It looked so calm and welcoming.

A pink alpaca walked up to her and beamed. "Hello there! My name is Reese. You look pretty new here in town." She looked to the other side of the store, where the walls were pained blue. A blue alpaca studying blueprints with several uncut diamonds and a clock were on his desk. "Dear," she started, "don't you think this is the new resident that Mayor Todd told us to greet?"

"W-what?" He looked over his shoulder and glanced at Gladys for a moment. Then he nodded. "Uh, yeah. I'm pretty sure she is."

"Well, welcome to Stormson!" Reese gushed.

Without a word, Gladys pulled a bag of coffee out of her pocket and handed it to Reese.

"Oh? Well, how about 2,000 bells?"

Gladys thought about that payment for a second and realized that it's not the price she was expecting. She shook her head.

Reese tilted her head. "Oh, well, alright then. Just tell me if you change your mind."

Gladys exited the building. She sighed and walked around town boredly, trying to think up of an idea to drive up the price. She spotted a bright yellow bench right next to the town hall and a puddle. She sat down graciously on the bench and opened up the bag of beans. She took in the sweet aroma that wafted into her beak. She shut the paper bag again and waved a hello to Beau who was walking down the path.

"Hey there, Gladys!" He said happily. Then a silence tore through Gladys as he stared at her bag of beans. He slowly walked up to her and blinked. "How much are you selling those beans for?"

"Huh?"

"How much?" Asked Beau suddenly sounding distressed, "Those beans are the best that Brewster has in his whole shop. Those beans are legendary. If I got a hoof-hold onto those legendary beans, then I could get Beardo to help me bake the most delicious pecan pie in the world. _With beans."_

Gladys raised an eyebrow then grinned. Beau really seemed to want those beans. So she simply said, "How much are you willing to offer?"

Beau thought for a moment then said quickly, "How about 9,000 bells?"

Gladys blinked her eyes in disbelief, 9,000 bells? Even for her, that was a bit much. So she nodded and Beau quickly got out a sack of the coins. He handed off the sack and Gladys handed him the coffee beans. Beau nearly hollered in delight.

"Thank you so much, Glad!" Beau said excitedly peeking into the bag, "Thanks so much!"

Gladys nodded graciously and let him sit down next to her. She moved her umbrella to make room for his. Beau smiled warmly. Then she said quietly, "Cruddy weather, huh?"

"Well, the weather will perk right up as soon as Beardo and I make that perfect pie. Oh, how about you join us in the pie ritual? There'll be candles and pies and everything! Just kidding about the candles of course. The last time I set up candles I accidentally set Beardo's curtains on fire."

He looked a little sheepish with that foolish grin. Gladys beamed and quickly accepted Beau's offer.

Beau hooted then said suddenly, "Woo! The pie making shall commence this evening at Beardo's house!"


	6. Pecan-not-really Pie

Beardo carefully arranged his furniture for the future guests. He set up an oven and got the ingredients ready for the pie that Beau wanted to make. He grinned to himself and nodded at his little setup.

He sighed, wondering why Beau thought that Gladys was such a sweet and mysterious character. He talked about her more than he did about Cherry, and his secret affections for Cherry weren't that hidden either.

He nearly jumped when without warning, Beau slammed open the door with Gladys in his arms. He laughed and cheered out, "Honey, I'm home!"

Beardo sighed. "Do you have the coffee beans?"

"Yuppers!" Replied Beau proudly holding out a sack of superb coffee beans.

Beardo shrugged and started up the oven. "You are an oddity, Beau. Why would you make a pecan pie with Brewster's coffee beans and why call on me?"

"Because it would be weird if I asked Lolly to help me considering I hardly know her."

Gladys blinked and inched away from Beau. Beardo laughed and let the animals come on inside the house after they dried off their feet from the rain. They wiped their hooves and claws on the greeting mat and Beau waltzed right inside while Gladys hesitantly followed.

Beardo immediately began instructioning, "Beau, you grab the saucepan I set up on the counter and combine the sugar, corn syrup, butter, water, and cornstarch. Oh, and make sure to bring it to a full boil on the stove."

Beau nodded and quickly got to work.

"Gladys, you can work on the pie crust. I have the recipe sitting there on top of the drawers. After you make the crust, you can get to work at chopping the beans."

Gladys' eyes went wide and she darted over, quickly getting to work.

Beardo grinned and went on, "And I shall leave beating the eggs and other things to myself." He quickly took off his detective's jacket and pulled up his sleeves. He navigated the kitchen, and found the eggs and cracked them into a large pristine white bowl. He got a mixer and began to whisk the eggs. When the eggs became pale yellow and frothy, he took Beau's cooked syrup mixture. When so, Beau tossed in a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of vanilla.

"Gladys, done chopping up those beans?"

"This is so weird…" she muttered. She nodded and poured in the chopped up plate of coffee beans. Together all at once, they carefully poured in the pie mixture into the pie crust that she ostrich has made.

Beardo then slowly put the unbaked pie in the oven and set the timer for forty five minutes. He breathed out a sigh of relief then flopped himself onto the dark brown couch.

Beau exchanged a look with Gladys and asked Beardo, "What now?"

"We can all go over to that new club that Mayor Todd let that crazy axolotl open up." Suggested Beardo calmly, "I heard Walker say that it was a decent place. He went over there last night when DJ K.K. was playing. But since today is Saturday, we'll be seeing K.K. Slider."

Beau blushed a little and said, "One of his albums has Cherry on it. It's one of my favorite songs too; K.K Fusion."

Gladys raised an eyebrow then nodded at Beardo.

Beardo bellowed out a calm laugh and said while grabbing his jacket, "then let's hurry up and get to Club LOL!"

He watched Gladys reach for Lobo's umbrella. She seemed a little shaky after making that pie. While Beau sang out loudly his top favorite K.K. song which happened to be something called _Mountain Song._

Beardo gently set his paw on Gladys' shoulder and she jumped up a bit. He grinned and asked, "Is something bothering you?"

Gladys was quiet for a moment. Then she sighed and hung her head. "It was just that I remembered something. I remembered that I liked to help someone I love to bake. But I don't know who it was. I felt this platonic sense of belonging and love to someone. Then I felt like there was a hole in my heart."

Beardo grinned sympathetically, "It could be just nothing. For now, let's forget our worries and listen to K.K. play his music."

* * *

The trio stepped into the club to see Lolly and Lobo already talking to a white dog sitting on a stool with a guitar in his paws.

Beau sighed and said, "I guess Lolly and Lobo beat us to the song request."

"It seems so." Chuckled Beardo. He looked at Gladys who was luckily the same height as him. "Is there a song you wanted to listen to?"

"Anything is fine." Gladys said.

The dog nodded and said to Lolly across the room, "Cool... cool cat. I can dig that. So go ahead and cop a chair, Claire."

The wolf and the grey tabby cat quickly got into some round black seats. Beardo exchanged a look with Beau and Gladys and the trio rushed to snag up some seats. Gladys sat right next to Lolly. Beardo saw Lolly give Gladys a light wave as the guitarist began the song.

"This is K.K. Stroll." Whispered Beau within the first few notes, "Another one of my favorites."

Beardo nodded as the white dog began to sing the lyrics.

Gladys seemed fixated on the song and the whole time she smiled. Beardo was happy to see the ostrich enjoying herself, considering the fact that she's a pretty shy bird.

"Enjoying yourself, Gladys?" Asked Beardo.

Gladys turned her head to him and she responded by grinning widely.

"That's good." Gushed Beardo.

When the song was over, Lolly stood up and thanked K.K. for the song. Lobo huffed and said quietly, "I guess it was good."

Lolly rolled her eyes and pulled Lobo up from his seat. "Don't be such a grumpy-butt. Thank K.K. for even considering to play us as a song."

Lobo crossed his arms and it took a long time, but he muttered, "Thanks for the show."

"It was no big deal. I just hope it did have some sort of appeal."

Beau quickly rushed up to the dog and said excitedly, "Can I choose a song? I want to choose a song!"

"Sure, sure, what'll it be?" K.K. asked politely.

Beau thought for a moment then said, "Could you play K.K. Fusion?"

"Sweet, I can definitely play that beat, so go ahead and have a seat, Pete."

Beau's eyes seemed to twinkle as he whispered walking back to his seat, "He said four things that rhymed in one sentence!"

Beardo rolled his eyes as the dog began to play the song. He glanced at Gladys when she said quietly, "I can easily put this song into cello form."

Perhaps… perhaps that means something about her.


	7. What's Black and White and Red All Over?

**Author's Note: I know there's no newspaper in Animal Crossing. Just… ugh, just roll with it.**

A maroon colored dog sipped her coffee as Gladys carefully cleaned Walker's cup who has just recently left.

"I am sick and tired of these rumors!" Blurted out Cherry drinking another sip. Her grey ears flapped and her silver piercings clinked together like a chime. She slammed her other grey paw down onto the table and then gasped. "Ow, darn, that's hot."

"The perfect temperature to draw out the taste is 175.38 degrees."

"Yeah," Cherry snapped, "That's hot!"

Gladys chuckled as Cherry slurped down the remainder of the coffee. She shuddered but she knew better than to refuse Brewster's hot coffee.

She sighed and crossed her arms on her table. She looked at the tall ostrich and said, "What was your name again?"

"Gladys."

"Hm, sure, alright. I can work with that."

Brewster blinked then said to Gladys, "You can take a break. I set some newspaper down on the yellow table."

Gladys nodded and politely asked Brewster for a cup of coffee. She has requested a mocha with a regular amount of milk and two spoonfuls of sugar; a typical, normal cup. Gladys paid her two hundred bells and walked to the table as he poured the coffee.

She sat down in a yellow chair and quickly adjusted her tight bow on her neck. She loosened the bow tie and relaxed for a cup of coffee. She set her wing on top of the newspaper and read the front page. It simply read something about Nookling Junction finally improving with a little nudge from Mayor Todd. She stared at that human just standing and smiling.

She flipped a page and stared at a picture of two police dogs, one slightly pudgy with sore eyes but the other nearly completely opposite; a tall, regal dog with a long pointed nose and an erect stance. Gladys finally forced herself to read some black and grey words.

She took a sip of her coffee and blinked, reading it.

**In the town of Fishlot which Stormson has close relations to, two murders have occurred in the house of an ostrich named Blanche. Blanche and her friend, Rosie, were found cut to death with kitchen knives. The murderer is still have yet to be found, so make sure to lock your doors and windows at night.**

"**It was just so horrible," said Bob from Fishlot, "Rosie was a close friend of mine, and she just... We had a conversation as she said she was going to Blanche's house to bake some cupcakes and about ten or so minutes later… she was dead."**

** Currently, our top police force is tracking down the murderer. So far, we have uncovered that the killer is an animal with feathers. At the scene, they have found red, white, and many dark colored feathers. If anyone you know has these colors, report them to the police immediately for investigation.**

Gladys felt sick to her stomach, and the first thought came to her head, was that perhaps she is the murderer. Maybe Gladys is the murder. She is an ostrich after all, and obviously has feathers. Including, she has the same colored feathers that the investigation has revealed.

Bile churned in her throat, and she fought hard to hold it all in.

Also, the worst part of all, she doesn't remember a thing of her life before the train.

Undoubtedly, Gladys is most likely the murder.

"…You look sick."

Gladys turned around in her chair to see Brewster not cleaning a cup for once and looking at her with genuine concern in his eyes.

"Was it the coffee?"

"N-No, just an article."

"Is the article about Todd?" Asked Cherry. She huffed and rolled her eyes, "I know, he doesn't even believe that I pay donations. He claims that 'he does all the work'. "

Brewster paused, blinked, then said, "She was looking at the article about Fishlot's deaths…"

"Oh, that." Cherry realized leaning back, "That was seriously unfortunate."

Gladys didn't say anything. She only stared in horror at the swimming letters. She wiped her eyes of tears and stormed out of the building.

Cherry stared dumfounded at the door then looked back at Brewster. "What made her so upset?"

Brewster stopped washing the cup and he even poured himself a cup to ease his hidden stress about Gladys. Then he said quietly, "Gladys thinks that she is the murderer."

* * *

Gladys paced back in forth in her now fully developed home. It had a nice, straw mat and sort of an exotic feel to it. Basically just greens and browns everywhere in the house.

She stared at her reflection in the vanity and pressed her wing against the mirror. She has perfectly red feathers, as bright as blood and snowy white plumage with her dark grey chin and neck. She slowly took off the tuxedo and put on her misty blue and green shirt with white streaks on it.

She set herself down on a wooden bench and thought about everything. She could ask Beardo to perhaps help her piece everything together.

But what if she shows her face to everyone else and they assume she's a murderer?

Gladys looked down at her feet and shivered, she's going to have to get to Beardo's house and just avoid people along the street like she usually does.

Gladys took a deep breath and headed outside of her home. She sprinted across the pavement, panting as her claws clicked softly against the bricks. She took a deep breath and continued to run to Beardo's home. She didn't even stop to say hello to Beau.

She almost slammed against his door running so fast. Without knocking, she flung open the door and threw herself down onto the blue bear's couch. She didn't see Beardo anywhere, but she knew that he was somewhere in the house according to the fact that the door was unlocked.

"Did someone come in?" Asked Beardo through a door on the left wall.

Gladys looked to the door and said loudly, "Y-yeah, it's just me."

There was an embarrassing pause as Beardo said, "Sure, Let me- just let me get dressed."

Gladys blushed through her feathers as Beardo walked out of the door, soaking wet and in blue striped pajamas. He held a blow dryer in his paw as he blew at his head fur.

He blinked and asked, "In trouble, darling?"

Gladys looked away from Beardo and she stared at the wall. "I think I'm a murderer."

"You _think_?" Asked Beardo curiously. He headed to Gladys's seat and sat next to her. He turned off the blow dryer and pat the bird's back with a semi-dry paw. "What makes you think such a horrible thing?"

"I read the newspaper in Brewster's shop," she started, "And it said that not too long ago, there was a murder in Fishlot. The killer was red, black, and white feathered, just like me." She blinked and said, "I could have been some insane killer. I could have murdered those two innocent people and then drugged myself so I wouldn't have to remember why I would be thrown in jail, and to appear as innocent as possible."

"It's a very true possibility." Said Beardo rubbing his chin in thought, "And you seem to have no memory of anything before you arrived here in Stormson."

"I know." Gladys continued shakily, "Am I really that clever? Could the murderer have really been me?"

"We can do some investigating. I can go on and take a trip in Fishlot for you and see the crime scene. I used to be a detective."

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Of course I would." Beardo laughed and rubbed Gladys' head feathers, "it's what friends are for. However, just remember that if I do conclude the murderer is you, you'll need to deal with the consequences."

"I'll deserve it." Gladys said in a scared tone, "If I really did murder that cat and ostrich, then I deserve to be thrown in jail. I may not remember anything, but it was still me who has done that crime."

Beardo nodded and grinned weakly. "You can lay low in my house for the meantime while I'm in Fishlot for a few days."

"Thank you, Beardo." Gladys hugged the large blue bear. He returned the hug warmly and Gladys felt a trickle of tears slide down her cheek onto her beak. "I'm so scared," Gladys said tightly grasping his fur, "I really appreciate it."

"It's okay, Gladys." Beardo whispered. He wiped away her tears with a paw. "I'll get packing for Fishlot immediately."


	8. Inky Flowers

"If anyone knocks, don't let them in, don't even answer them." Said Beardo as he put on a fedora, "I'm letting you stay here because if they go to your house and find you, it is probably because they're going to turn you into the police without any questions asked."

"I see." Said Gladys.

"While you're here, you are welcome to use anything. I don't even care if you mess up the entire house. Just try your best to remain quiet. You can do anything you want, and when I say anything, I am being serious. I am giving you full permission to use the kitchen, bathroom, and everything else. Just pretend this is literally your home until I get back." He shut the suitcase, "Only go to the stores if you _really_ need to. If they find out about you, simply bribe them to stay quiet. I have a whole stash of money on top of my fridge."

Gladys nodded. Then she whispered, "Good luck."

"I think you mean bad luck so I don't find out if it was you." Then he shut the door.

Gladys was now alone, and the darkness was gathering outside. Tonight was the meteor shower, and she was fully intending to watch it with her friends. She was planning to watch the showers with Beau, Beardo, and Pate, just for the heck of it and maybe even get closer.

She looked out the window and watched as Beardo disappeared into the train station and the train move away from Stormson across the bridge.

Silence wrapped up the tall bird, and it unsettled her.

_I can try a wing at drawing._ She considered looking at a brown desk with ink, pencils, and even a few feathered quills.

Gladys sat herself down at one of the seats and grasped the pencil in her wing feathers. She swirled the graphite against the paper, and found herself drawing boxes and triangles with dotted lines. She continued to let her wing wander on the paper all on it's own.

She watched in curiosity as she drew a house. She happily got the quill and dipped it into the ink holder. She splashed on where flowers would be. Pure black, inky flowers bloomed in the windowsill and the grass was dotted with the splashes of intricate splats of ink. The roof had swirling vines draping down made by ink, in the window corners were carefully weaved moss; also made of ink.

Gladys loved drawing, and she couldn't stop herself, even if she wanted to. But then things got a lot darker. She splattered ink in the sky mistakenly, and gasped. She looked closer, and saw the beginning of a mysterious, cold cloud ready to bring rain. She then covered the sky in clouds, blocking out the sun if there were one.

It was like the ink flowers wilted almost. The sky grew darker and darker, until it was shadowed as the night sky outside of Beardo's window.

Then a clap of thunder startled her, and made Gladys drop the quill, splattering ink all over her masterpiece. Gladys stared sadly at her destroyed work, the house now bloody with black, crawling shadows that eerily rose up the planks and windows.

She sniffled and tore the picture in half, feeling like her heart as well has torn. She loved drawing sceneries more than the cello now. She can swirl the graphite and go overboard with the ink.

She prepared to start over a new house as she dipped her quill in the ink, only to sadly find that the inkwell has run out of the pitch black liquid.

She set down the quill and walked away from the desk and waiting, blank parchment. She nearly screeched when another scream of thunder and lightning collided. Lights flashed outside, and rain pounded down heavily.

She headed over to the window and set her wing against it. Then she remembered that she wanted to draw as little attention as possible. So without hesitation, she shut the blinds of the window and didn't dare peek outside to see if anyone was looking.

Gladys decided to take a shower before going to sleep for the night. She glanced at a wooden clock on the wall to see that it was now 9:43 PM. She headed into the bathroom, and saw that it was mostly brown shades with splashes of white here and there. She started the water, and took off her misty shirt, covering her body in a towel.

Stepping into the shower, she thought about all the things that she and Beardo has pieced together so far. They have found out so far that she is most likely the murderer, but at this point, they're just going out on a whim. There is a lot of ways to truly tell, but maybe she isn't the murderer.

Gladys rubbed her scalp and pondered on this. There is a small chance that it was all a misunderstanding, and just a result of Gladys getting a little worked up about an article. But then again, the coincidences are just too perfect to ignore.

Gladys finally shut off the water, and stepped out of the bathtub, and rubbed her feathers with a pale pink towel.

She got her shirt back on, and walked back into the main living room.

Gladys felt exhaustion pour through her body like a tidal wave, and she yawned. Beardo told her to treat this house like it was literally her home. And perhaps that meant she could even sleep in the actual bed.

She nodded to herself, so happy to consider Beardo a friend she can actually rely on.

Subconsciously, she dragged herself to Beardo's bedroom, and shut off the lights. She snuggled deep into the luscious blankets and closed her eyes, more than ready to go to sleep.

As the darkness covered her, she had a dream that blood flew around her, and a silhouette of a dead cat lay in front of her. Another silhouette stood in front of her, emotionless, and blood seeping off of the body like the ink she has drawn with.

Gladys looked down at her feathers, to see them jet black, like she was merely a shadow.

She blinked, and the next thing she knew, was that she has moved on to the next dream. She was standing in a pure white room. She turned around, and saw her shadow. She shadow then opened pure white eyes and grew larger and larger.

Gladys stared on in horror as without warning, the shadow dived down at her and swallowed her up.

_"You are a monster, Gladys." _A voice whispered,_ "And you don't even remember why."_

* * *

In the morning, she has bolted awake panting and covered in cold sweat. She took in a deep breath and forced her out of the bed. She looked outside the blinds to see the sun shining and the sky cloudless.

She paced around the house, wondering what the dreams have meant. The dreams were both about shadows, and something hiding inside of her. Then guilt clogged up her heart, and she sat down on the couch. She sighed and covered her face with her white feathered wings. She was so scared, and she was even more scared to face the consequences.

Will Gladys be executed if she was the true killer? Will she rot in jail all alone for the rest of her life? Perhaps Jacques or Beau will find out what's going on, and even put their lives on the line to make sure that Gladys is safe from what awaits her.

But there is that silent part, saying that perhaps she hasn't killed them. Maybe she's really just crazy and paranoid and has some short-term memory loss.

However, that part is just a tiny chance. And that tiny chance is being crushed by the shadows within her.


	9. Wet Grey Plumage

Gladys just sensed that Beardo was about to enter the house, she knew it in her gut. She knew that he'll return with bad news. She knew that he's going to hold his hat in his paw sadly, like he just went to a funeral.

And so she was right.

She heard a knock and she tip clawed over to the door, and peeped through the crest. Outside of the door was the blue bear, and she blinked sadly. She quickly unlocked the door and let him inside. Once he entered, she locked it again and stared at him.

Beardo didn't say anything as he sat down on the couch.

"What's the news?"

He sighed and confirmed, "There is a very high probability that you are the murderer."

Gladys leaned against the wall and whispered, "You can just flat-out tell me. You don't have to sugar-coat it for me."

He nodded and took off his fedora, "Then I have concluded that you are in fact, the murderer of Blanche and Rosie. Through my analysis, I have found traces of blood, and the blood belonged to you and the feathers were definitely yours, showing signs of struggle during the… procedure. There was traces of a certain drug called Metryapone that wipes out memories. I also kept away from the other villagers to prevent the conclusion from being biased."

Gladys hung her head and slid down the wall, a feeling of heartbroken dread dropping stones into her chest. She felt a tear roll down her cheeks. "What will I do now?" She asked quietly, "I'm a murderer, and I didn't even know it. I can't imagine hurting anyone, I'm just too nervous to do so!"

"I'm scared as you are." He said, "And I thought about having to watch you rot in jail while I stood by not doing anything." He sighed and went on, "I'm going to protect you to the best of my abilities."

"No." She struggled to say the word.

He looked at her in shock.

"If I'm a killer, I have to face the consequences that I have hidden from. I can only assume at this point after I…" she felt her voice crack, "after _I _killed Blanche and Rosie, I have drugged myself to appear as innocent as possible to cover up the crime." She rubbed her temples with her wings, "I can't be that clever though, right?"

Beardo shrugged, "I have no idea what you were like before these events have happened. And I'm not going to sweeten it either: you must have been crazy."

"I've evolved to be a bird that loves drawing houses and playing cello. Was I still like that before the murders?" Gladys asked slamming her head against the wall, "What if I just _snapped_?"

"I don't think I have ever seen you snap before, Gladys." The bear said, "Just come have a seat on the couch."

Gladys nodded sickly and sat down delicately. She's going to have to head out to jail because she has murdered two animals, but she doesn't know why she had murdered them, and she doesn't want to know why. She closed her eyes and leaned against Beardo, desperate to just run away from it all.

Beardo pat her back as she began to sob.

Tears rolled down her cheeks in rivulets, making her pure white plumage turn grey where the tear slid, making her wish she was all grey, and it wasn't her red, grey, and white feathers at Fishlot.

* * *

When she finally woke up, she was laying on Beardo's couch covered in a blanket. She sat up and leaned against the arm rest. She spotted the blue bear sitting at his desk, staring at something.

Gladys threw off the blanket and slowly walked over to Beardo. She looked over his shoulder and gasped when she realized he was staring intently at her torn picture of the flowers and the house.

Then he said like it was an obvious statement, "You drew this."

Gladys nodded carefully.

"It's beautiful."

Gladys gulped, "I-Is it?"

"I especially like the ink flowers. Each petal is so intricate and carefully drawn. Each pattern I see is so complicated, just like your past and personality. It fits." He looked up at her, "How long have you been drawing?"

She blinked at the paper and muttered, "This was my first time."

He looked back at the paper and responded, "This obviously isn't your first. You must have been drawing even before you came to Stormson. You just don't remember."

Hanging her head sadly, she said in a shamed tone, "Sorry I wasted all of your ink. I just lost myself in the drawing." She then pointed a feather to the huge ink splotch stretching across the sky and the house, the thing that ruined the picture, causing her to get upset and tear it in half, "That's when a lightning bolt startled me."

Beardo reached for the tape dispenser and tore off a nice, long piece of tape and patched the two papers together perfectly. He took a tack and then pinned it up against the brown walls. He nodded in satisfaction. "It's still beautiful." Then he said suddenly changing the subject, "Are you bringing yourself to jail?"

Gladys didn't like how he said it. He spoke of it so smoothly and casually, like he was just talking about the weather. 'Your picture is nice. Oh, also, are you going to jail for that crazy murder you did? I forgot, how's the weather lately?'

Weakly, she bobbed her head up and down. "For guilt's sake, I have to." She walked over to the other end of the room and peeked out the window, seeing the sun was out and the grass was wet after the storm. "I'll go this evening."

"Would you like me to go with you?"

She shook her head solemnly, not wanting to say anything else about this. She doesn't want him to go with her because it was her own duty. She doesn't want Beardo to be paid for sadly bringing his friend to jail for a murder she wished didn't happen.

Gladys began to wonder what Rosie and Blanche were like. Was Rosie just another happy villager like Pate? Was Blanche somehow enemies with Gladys, and they both fought to the death like ancient musketeers?

She wish that dusk didn't roll around so quickly. When it was time, she didn't bother picking up Lobo's umbrella. She didn't bother even preparing to leave. She only opened the door and left.

And as the ostrich left his home, Beardo felt guilt pound through his heart so heavily, he thought he might die from a heart attack.

_I just sent my friend to her own execution._

**Author's Note: Metryapone is a real drug that is used to erase bad memories. I had to look up and research for certain drugs for my character to just wipe out the bad memories of a murder. It was kind of difficult, considering I found several other drugs that have similar properties, but I decided on Metryapone because it completely wipes out bad memories.**

**However, don't do drugs, kids! Just because an ostrich/red-crowned crane in a cutesy game called 'Animal Crossing' took a drug to cover up a crime, doesn't mean you can too.**

**The almighty **Fires** disapproves of drugs. c:**


	10. The Last Cup

**Author's Note: Gladys makes me frustrated. Why? Well, mostly because on the wiki, her species is officially an ostrich. However, she looks like a freaking red-crowned crane. It annoys me whenever I have to type in 'the ostrich' because she isn't one! But I have to keep on saying ostrich for consistency's sake. :I**

She has decided to work at the coffee shop one more time before leaving forever to rot and die.

Brewster didn't even bother asking her where she went. As she walked in, he said faintly, 'Coo… good that you're back…'

Gladys slowly was washing a cup, staring at the desk. She wished that there was some way to just make this final day worth it.

A quiet jingle woke her up from her lonely thoughts. Looking up, she spotted a navy blue bird with a smug grin and tired blue eyes. He waddled up to Gladys and smiled. "How goes it, darling?"

"D-Darling?"

"Just teasing you."

She sighed in relief as Jacques requested the usual. She nodded to Brewster, who began to make the coffee as Jacques cleared his throat and began to speak to Gladys. "I see that you're no longer locked up in Beardo's house."

Gladys nearly dropped the porcelain cup and shatter it. She nodded weakly and set the cup behind her on the shelf. She swiveled around, too startled and shocked to even bother asking how he knew she was in Beardo's house for the past few days. Was he stalking her perhaps?

Her wing feathers began to visibly shake, so she hid them under the counter. She nodded absentmindedly while Brewster slid the cup of steaming hot coffee over to Jacques green and blue wing.

He slid over a bag of two hundred bells and gulped down the coffee. Jacques shuddered in the heat and he smiled. "I love how your coffee makes me feel all warm and fuzzy outside."

Gladys kept her beak clamped shut. She stared at Jacques who continually glanced at her.

She gulped and shakily returned to cleaning off Jacques' cup.

"You're quiet." Jacques observed.

"Aren't I always?" She muttered not making eye contact with the bird.

"Quieter than usual. Maybe a dance together at Club LOL would fix things up."

Gladys really didn't feel like dancing, especially not with a bird who somehow knew about her staying at Beardo's household. She rapidly shook her head, not willing to partake in any activities with him, especially since she's going to jail tonight.

"No? Well, how about we just head over to the museum and check out the huge dinosaurs. Todd has donated several more fossils, so they ought to be interesting."

Gladys gulped and didn't even give a reaction this time. She didn't even bother shaking her head.

Jacques blinked and looked over at Brewster, "Seriously, what's wrong with her today?"

Brewster didn't say a word.

Jacques sighed and rested his head on the table as if in frustration. Gladys simply glanced at him and went back to rubbing the towel mindlessly around the insides of the coffee cup.

"Just an outing."

She finally looked him directly in his face. Jacques' gaze was fixed on the gyroids sitting on Brewster's shelf.

He took a deep breath and said with a slight tint of red to his cheek feathers, "I want to have at least one outing together, please. I want to just go out with you, just once, okay? Is that too much to ask for?"

"I can't."

"Why not!?" Jacques slammed down his winged fists onto the counter, startling the ostrich. She averted her gaze and refused to answer.

Jacques looked like he wanted to say something deep and perhaps even dark. Instead, he only stared at her, deep into Gladys' eyes like her dark grey eyes could hold the key to all the world's answers. However, it was like she has refused to show anyone that key, and she intends to keep it that way.

"Why not?" He repeated, this time much softer.

"I'm going away." She finally answered in a hushed tone.

Brewster looked up at Jacques and said, "Sir, I'm going to have to… please ask you to leave if you continue to harass my employee."

Jacques slowly stood up and he faced Gladys once more. His eyes were full of pain and deep, foreign memories.

"Jacq-"

Jacques interrupted Gladys' poor attempt at apologizing, "No, it's alright. I can't force it upon you. I thought I could have. I'm leaving now." The bird stepped out of the door, with a final jingle.

Brewster blinked then said quietly to Gladys, "that was rude to stay quiet."

"I know."

The two stayed quiet for a long time, until Brewster eventually offered to give Gladys a cup of coffee to ease her nerves. She agreed and sat at the front counter for her drink. The pigeon slowly poured the coffee into the porcelain cup. When he poured it all, he carefully slid the cup over to her.

"Coo… the usual."

Gladys sighed and dipped a feathertip into the coffee boredly. "I think I'll let it cool."

In shock, Brewster's feathers stood on edge all of a sudden. Gladys glanced up at him, seeing he was genuinely amazed. "Are you serious?"

She nodded.

"D-Drink it up before it gets cold!"

Gladys also was shocked at his sudden shift. In return to comfort him, she sighed and replied in a kind voice, "It's fine, I want it to cool."

"It's the best when it's hot!" The pigeon suddenly protested.

Gladys sighed and she took a gentle sip of the coffee. She noticed that it did taste a lot better when it freshly brewed and piping hot. She grinned weakly and apologized to Brewster. He didn't say anything. She was a little worried that she may have seriously offended him. She chugged the remainder of the coffee and blinked, staring at the wall.

She heard the door bell tingle, and she didn't have to turn around to know who it was. She just automatically assumed that it was Pate, peppy as usual.

Instead, she turned to her left to see a white dog wearing a brown hat and thick iconic looking glasses. Undoubtedly, it was K.K. Slider starting his shift as a DJ in Club LOL.

Gladys gave the cup to Brewster and she went back behind the counter.

"Yo, kittens." He started sitting down, "House blend please, and hold the sugar and milk, cat."

Gladys nodded and used the normal blended beans into the mixer, and without adding any other ingrediants, she hands the cup to the white dog.

He grins and nods thanks before gulping it all down. He breathed out and smiled widely. "You and Brewster's coffee is always the best."

Gladys blushed and proceeded to wash the cup. The dog stayed for a little bit in silence. Then he said quietly, "It's nice to just sit here and be quiet before I head into that club and cause a riot. Don't you agree, G?"

Gladys looked at him, seeing that he has used a nickname for her, similar to Beau. She nodded. Gladys loved silence altogether, and she loathed having to speak in front of others. And when she does end up speaking, she stutters, and gets very flustered with herself.

"Coo… your shift is over."

"I don't need payment t-today." She stuttered leaving the counter.

Brewster looked at her quizzically. "You did so well today though…"

"Thanks, but no thanks." Without another word, she left the building and entered the chilling evening air. She rubbed her wings and shuddered. Time to get to that police station and turn herself in.

Gladys was terrified, and she figured out why. Stormson is a heartbreaking town. Fate has been cruel to the tall bird. Stormson has warmly welcomed Gladys into its ranks. She has developed friends and warmed up to the coffee-addicted atmosphere of the town.

But then within the heartbreaking part of it all, the town has forced her to rip apart from her friends. After growing attached, she learned about her past, and then her heart has broken, leaving apart what she has grown to know and love.

As she walked alone on the road, she thought about Rover has told her. "_It's where most people end up finding their true love, then having their heart broken there. It's a tragic place."_


	11. Family Issues

Put Your Trust in Me is most certainly NOT dead or even close to being over.

I have a lot of family issues going on in my life, and being on FanFiction just adds on to my stress.

Please be patient with me, and just calmly wait for the next chapter.

I repeat, this is NOT DEAD.

I still have a lot of mysterious grounds to cover, and I got the entire story thought out, and this is probably just a quarter of the story. So basically; this is on hiatus. Be patient, and don't freak out if I don't update for another few weeks.

Family issues. Nail that into your skulls.

**-Fireworks**


End file.
